Published: 17/11/2009
Bangkok Post
The Constitution Court's decision to dissolve the Thai Rak Thai party and ban all its executive members from politics for five years cannot be reversed, election commissioner Praphan Naikowit said on Tuesday.
“The decision is irreversible even though two witnesses — Suksant Chaithep and Chavakarn Tosawat -- have stated that they were bribed by a senior member of the Democrat Party to press false charges against an executive member of the Thai Rak Thai Party," Mr Prahan said.
Asked whether the Democrat Party could be dissolved as a consequence, Mr Praphan said he had no idea how solid the new evidence Gen Panlop Pinmanee, a member of the opposition Puea Thai Party, has in hands.
He said the Election Commission (EC) had considered the TRT dissolution case properly, in line with the available witnesses and evidence, before forwarding the case to the Constitution Court.
Mr Praphan did not expect this latest development would have any effect on the past rulings of the EC and the Constitution Court.
The Constitutional Tribunal, as it was then known, on May 30, 2007, ordered the Thai Rak Thai Party dissolved after finding it guilty of violating electoral laws.
The judges ruled that two senior party members had bribed smaller parties to influence the result of elections in April 2006 by competing in constituencies that were bases of the opposition parties to ensure that minimum turnout rules were met. The Democrat Party, which was then in opposition, boycotted the elections.
The court banned the 111 executive members from active politics for five years, including the party's founder Thaksin Shinawatra who had been removed from the premiership by a military coup in September 2006.
Earlier Tuesday, Gen Panlop said all 111 banned former TRT executive members should petition for justice as their penalty stemmed from false testimony.
The Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) former deputy director said the two key witnesses at the trial now insisted that they have proof that a bribe was paid into their account at a commercial bank by a senior member of the Democrat Party. He said he would clarify this at a Puea Thai meeting later today.
The retired general said he was not worried about the threat of a lawsuit by Deputy Prime Minister and Democrat secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban. He had the evidence and was ready to prove his allegation in court.
Gen Panlop on Monday accused Mr Suthep of bribing two witnesses in the 2006 trial of the Thai Rak Thai Party - Suksant Chaiyathep and Chavakarn Tosawat - to press false charges against former TRT executive member Thammarak Isarangkura na Ayudhya, resulting in the dissolution of the party.
Mr Suthep this morning denied the accusation as groundless and threatened to bring a defamation charge against Gen Panlop.
Bangkok Post
The Constitution Court's decision to dissolve the Thai Rak Thai party and ban all its executive members from politics for five years cannot be reversed, election commissioner Praphan Naikowit said on Tuesday.
“The decision is irreversible even though two witnesses — Suksant Chaithep and Chavakarn Tosawat -- have stated that they were bribed by a senior member of the Democrat Party to press false charges against an executive member of the Thai Rak Thai Party," Mr Prahan said.
Asked whether the Democrat Party could be dissolved as a consequence, Mr Praphan said he had no idea how solid the new evidence Gen Panlop Pinmanee, a member of the opposition Puea Thai Party, has in hands.
He said the Election Commission (EC) had considered the TRT dissolution case properly, in line with the available witnesses and evidence, before forwarding the case to the Constitution Court.
Mr Praphan did not expect this latest development would have any effect on the past rulings of the EC and the Constitution Court.
The Constitutional Tribunal, as it was then known, on May 30, 2007, ordered the Thai Rak Thai Party dissolved after finding it guilty of violating electoral laws.
The judges ruled that two senior party members had bribed smaller parties to influence the result of elections in April 2006 by competing in constituencies that were bases of the opposition parties to ensure that minimum turnout rules were met. The Democrat Party, which was then in opposition, boycotted the elections.
The court banned the 111 executive members from active politics for five years, including the party's founder Thaksin Shinawatra who had been removed from the premiership by a military coup in September 2006.
Earlier Tuesday, Gen Panlop said all 111 banned former TRT executive members should petition for justice as their penalty stemmed from false testimony.
The Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) former deputy director said the two key witnesses at the trial now insisted that they have proof that a bribe was paid into their account at a commercial bank by a senior member of the Democrat Party. He said he would clarify this at a Puea Thai meeting later today.
The retired general said he was not worried about the threat of a lawsuit by Deputy Prime Minister and Democrat secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban. He had the evidence and was ready to prove his allegation in court.
Gen Panlop on Monday accused Mr Suthep of bribing two witnesses in the 2006 trial of the Thai Rak Thai Party - Suksant Chaiyathep and Chavakarn Tosawat - to press false charges against former TRT executive member Thammarak Isarangkura na Ayudhya, resulting in the dissolution of the party.
Mr Suthep this morning denied the accusation as groundless and threatened to bring a defamation charge against Gen Panlop.
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